The Centre is set to deploy the ‘Kanda Express’ from Monday to move onions from buffer stocks in Maharashtra to major consumption centres as retail prices climb sharply across several cities. The special rail service will transport onions from Nashik to Delhi, Chennai, Kochi and Guwahati, where prices have risen significantly, in an effort to improve supplies and contain further increases in the cost of the staple vegetable.

According to the Department of Consumer Affairs, the average retail price of onions reached around Rs 42 per kg on Saturday, marking a 45% increase from the same period last year and a rise of more than 19% over the previous month. The increase has been steeper in some major markets. Delhi recorded retail prices of around Rs 65 per kg, compared with Rs 35 a year ago, while onions in Chennai were selling for about Rs 58 per kg against Rs 33 last year. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said the government was preparing to move onions from its buffer stocks by rail to markets experiencing elevated prices. She also said adequate stocks were available with both farmers and the government to meet demand in the coming months.

Maharashtra onion supply under pressure

The government intervention follows reports of a 5-7% decline in kharif onion production in Maharashtra, the country's largest onion-producing state. Lower acreage and delayed monsoon rains have been cited among the factors affecting output. However, the Agriculture Ministry's second advance estimate puts India's total onion production for the 2025-26 crop year at 30.73 million tonnes, broadly similar to the 30.76 million tonnes recorded in the previous year.

Wholesale prices have also increased considerably. At Lasalgaon, Maharashtra's major onion trading hub, prices have nearly doubled since June, reaching around Rs 3,800 per quintal from approximately Rs 2,000.

Government strengthens buffer stocks

To reinforce supplies, NAFED and the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation (NCCF) have procured around 0.12 million tonnes of onions during the current fiscal year. The procurement price has also been raised several times, from Rs 1,270 per quintal in May to Rs 2,645 per quintal last week.

The government plans to release the buffer stock in a calibrated manner, particularly in markets where retail prices are substantially higher than the national average. Moving supplies directly to major consumption centres is expected to help increase availability while limiting additional pressure on retail prices.

‘Kanda Express’ to target key markets

The Centre has used rail-based onion transportation previously to respond to regional price pressures. A similar ‘Kanda Express’ operation was run in October 2024, moving onions from Nashik to major consuming markets.

The latest operation comes as the government seeks to prevent the current price increase from spreading further. While production estimates indicate that overall onion availability remains relatively stable, differences in supply across markets have contributed to sharp price variations.

With sufficient stocks reportedly available with farmers and government agencies, the immediate focus will be on moving onions to high-price markets and improving availability. The effectiveness of the rail shipments will depend on how quickly the additional supply reaches consumers and whether wholesale prices begin to ease in the coming weeks.

 Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for a series of major cooperative sector projects at the 5th Foundation Day celebration of the Ministry of Cooperation at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Monday, reinforcing the Centre's vision of "Sahakar Se Samriddhi."

The event will mark five years of the Ministry of Cooperation and showcase key reforms undertaken to modernise cooperative institutions through digital transformation, infrastructure development and institutional strengthening.

Several Union ministers, senior government officials and representatives of cooperative institutions from across the country are expected to attend the ceremony. Among those present will be Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Ministers of State Krishan Pal Gurjar and Murlidhar Mohol, along with officials from the Ministries of Cooperation, Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, and Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

A major highlight of the programme will be the inauguration, transfer and foundation stone laying of 232 grain storage godowns under the World's Largest Grain Storage Scheme. The projects include the transfer of 135 completed godowns, inauguration of 85 new facilities, and foundation laying for 47 additional storage units, aimed at strengthening agricultural storage infrastructure across the country.

Shah will also perform the Bhoomi Pujan for 'Sahakar Van', a 64-acre cooperative afforestation project being developed jointly by Amul and the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation (NCCF). Foundation stones will also be laid for tissue culture facilities of Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL) in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, and Jalgaon, Maharashtra, to improve quality seed production.

As part of the government's digital transformation drive, the minister will launch NCD 3.0, a geo-tag mobile application, and the National Dairy Development Board's Milk Supply Review Dashboard Portal. Two new digital platforms for urban cooperative banks—Sahakar CBS, a centralised core banking solution, and Sahakar Sahyogi, an AI-powered conversational platform—will also be unveiled.

In another significant initiative, the Ministry will announce the digitisation of 50,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) into e-PACS, a move expected to improve transparency, governance and service delivery at the grassroots level.

The ceremony will also witness the inauguration of the Cooperative Milk Producers Organisation Multi-State Limited and the Gomay Cooperative Society Multi-State Limited, aimed at strengthening the dairy and rural cooperative ecosystem.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between BBSSL and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) will be signed to enhance India's seed systems. During the event, Amit Shah will also release model bye-laws for dairy cooperative societies and a commemorative publication highlighting the Ministry's achievements over the past five years.

According to the Ministry, the initiatives reflect the government's continued focus on empowering farmers, dairy producers, women, youth, cooperative institutions and rural communities through technology-driven reforms and stronger cooperative governance.

The Foundation Day programme is expected to reaffirm the Centre's commitment to building a modern, transparent and self-reliant cooperative sector in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat.